


call me baby

by beachboi



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: But only if you squint, College, High School, Hurt No Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Short One Shot, Unrequited Love, non explicit making out, prompto just wishes noct loved him :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 08:42:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23848372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beachboi/pseuds/beachboi
Summary: Prompto understood Noctis, and Noctis understood Prompto. There was nothing simpler than that. It was why they were best friends.So, of course, there was nothing as confusing as being in love with Noctis for the same reason.
Relationships: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	call me baby

**Author's Note:**

> hello! i wrote this when i was supposed to be studying for my exam in two days! so give a big round of applause to the greatest example of procrastination known to man!
> 
> title is a (really good) song by beach bunny :)

Noctis and Prompto had been best friends since that first day of freshman year. They'd seen the epic highs of high school together: cafeteria fights, nights spent ignoring their homework in favor of the newest Call of Duty, free dinners from Noctis' gig at Standing Sushi. But none of that came without some _very_ low points; namely, the ever present threat of Regis' death that was always in the back of Noct's mind, more clearly ingrained into his every move the longer Prompto knew him.

There were late nights (or should he say very early mornings?) where Noctis would call Prompto. There'd be no crying or hysterics— Prompto learned that wasn't how Noctis dealt with pain. Instead, Noctis would be quieter than he already was, would ask Prompto what he was dreaming about or, if Prompto couldn't sleep either, about whatever it was the blonde was doing. And Prompto would answer with as many words as possible. He'd fill up the space and give Noctis something else to think about than his dad dying. That's how he dealt with pain.

And Noctis knew Prompto just the same. Wearing a bigger smile, laughing just a little harder, talking a little too much, none of that worked on his best friend. Prompto could hide as much as he wanted from the world, but not Noctis— never Noctis. On those days, Noct would invite Prompto to his apartment and they'd eat pizza and play whatever game Prompto was in the mood for. Sometimes they talked about it, and sometimes they didn't; but Noctis would never push, and would listen with gods-given patience.

Prompto understood Noctis, and Noctis understood Prompto. There was nothing simpler than that. It was why they were best friends.

So, of course, there was nothing as confusing as being in love with Noctis for the same reason.

It was the end of sophomore year when it'd hit him: or rather, when Google had told him that no, it was _not_ "just bros being bros" if your heart beat faster when your best friend smiled at you or touched your arm.

This made navigating his sexuality during junior year strange and _very_ hard. But he'd managed not to give into his (many) urges to kiss Noctis.

Now, if he thought junior year was hell, senior year was Ifrit handing his ass to him on a flaming silver platter. 

It was too late into senior year when Prompto realized there was no way he was going to get his grades up to Noctis' level. They'd done all their homework together all these years, and yet, nothing came as easily to Prompto as it did to Noctis. And they say that no one is born smarter than everyone else.

None of it mattered for Noctis anyhow; he had the job of being a prince after high school, and if he wanted to go to college, it wasn't like any top school admissions counselor would tell him no. Prompto's application, though? Well, he wouldn't be surprised if Noctis got a package and Prompto got an envelope.

Noctis had options, and Prompto didn't.

So he applied to a few community colleges and even a few art schools— all in Insomnia, of course. Noctis would get busier as he got older, but Prompto would be happy just to see Noct when he had a minute to spare. After all, he'd be busy with school, too, anyways. But there was no way he was leaving his best friend if he could happened.

That all changed when prom came.

They ended up going together as a platonic couple, because Prompto couldn't handle the mind-numbing anxiety of asking _his crush who also happens to be_ _the prince of Lucis_ to prom for real— and Prompto _actually_ convinced Noctis to go to an after-party to boot. No shitfaced teenager was going to recognize Noct at a cramped, dark house party with the music blasting. Like every teenager does at their first party, they'd gotten very drunk, and it had been up to Prompto to order them an Uber back to Noct's apartment.

They'd cuddled up under Noct's huge bed together, just like they had done a million times before. Except this time, Noctis kissed him.

What else could Prompto have done but kiss him back?

Needless to say, it made everything that came after that much harder. The next morning, Noctis had a killer hangover and so, remembered nothing— but Prompto did. He had committed every last nanosecond to memory, right down to the feeling of Noctis' strong arms pulling him closer as they kissed and kissed and kissed.

His crush on Noctis had been manageable before; now, it was just too much. He couldn't look at Noctis without lingering on his lips and wanting to be his more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life. The thought had never occurred to him before; but of course, that was because he'd never really associated _prince_ and _Noctis_ before prom happened. 

Prompto could never date Noctis. Just their friendship – prince Noctis and lowly commoner Prompto – was a laughable headline. Worse yet would be when the world – when _Noctis_ – found out he was really some adopted orphan from Niflheim.

Yeah, that would go over real smoothly.

So he said nothing and took the week to finish a late application to an art school in Cleigne. 

The rotten cherry on the top of it all wqs the arrival of two acceptance letters in the mail.

He'd been staring at them for hours, huddled underneath his bed in the dark of the night. Prompto's tired, bagged eyes shifted between the bright purple letters of his full ride scholarship to Insomnia's best art school and the dark green of the school in Cleigne that would put him forty thousand gil in debt, at best.

The choice was clear. Prompto's heart wasn't.

By now, he'd thought about calling Noctis ten thousand times. The tiny metal garbage can next to his desk was surrounded by failed attempts at confession letters and scripts of phone calls that didn't end in anything other than Noctis rejecting Prompto.

And then the phone actually rang.

 _Three A.M.,_ Prompto realized after staring at his vibrating phone. It was Noctis, and he needed Prompto.

"Hey, man." Prompto answered, trying his best not to sound as exhausted as he felt.

"Hey. Were you sleeping?"

 _Not more than a couple hours in the past few days._ "Yeah."

"No, you weren't," Noctis corrected him, the hint of a laugh in his tone. Prompto's heart flipped and ached at the same moment, instilling a momentary fear of a stroke.

"No, I wasn't. I was watching chocobo videos." Somehow, talking was draining, and both lines were quiet. That had never happened before.

"That's cool," Noctis said after a few seconds of deafening silence. "Listen, Prom, I called 'cause... I, um... I need to talk to you." The last few words were forced out, like it was a conversation Noctis didn't want to have.

Normally, Prompto could handle loaded sentences like that. When sleep-deprived, his anxiety stampeded rampantly over all of his good senses.

 _He knows,_ is all Prompto could think. _He knows about the kiss, he knows about me trying to leave, he knows that I'm not from Lucis, he's about to arrest me for high treason and have me publicly hanged._

"O-o-o-okay," Prompto says slowly, trying to play it cool and hide the dread in his voice. "What is it?"

His heart hammered as Noctis stole a few more seconds of prolonged silence.

"There's, uh. Gonna be this big headline that drops in the next couple of days. And before you say it, yes, I know I should have told you earlier. But with stuff like this in the Citadel, you're never sure if it's for real or if the Council is just talking out of their asses. But anyway, it's gonna be this huge thing, and I just figured, you know, that... you should know first."

Prompto was liking this phone call less and less as it went on. "Dude, just say it."

He heard Noctis take a deep breath before speaking again, wrenching it right out of Prompto's lungs:

"I'm gonna get married."

Everything in Prompto didn't really _shut off_ ; it felt more like deflating, sinking deep into his mattress as all his hopes and dreams left him.

"You're... what?"

"Yeah, you and me both. It's to Lady Luna."

This time, Prompto felt an invisible fist violently jab him in the stomach.

His eyes immediately shot to his desk drawer, where he kept decade-old Lunafreya's scented letter. A decade... What did she look like now? Who _was_ she now? Was she still the kind, loving girl she was all those years ago?

_Of course she is. She's nobility and has all the makings of a future princess. You're some good-for-nothing from the wrong part of Insomnia. What did you think was going to happen?_

"Wow," is all Prompto could say. Unbidden tears came to his eyes that he fought to blink away. But there was no hiding the emotion in his voice, the dryness of his throat, as he whispered, "I'm really happy for you, Noctis."

"Thanks. I don't really know what to think, either. I think I'm excited, though. Is that weird? She's always been really nice, and... I dunno, I guess I like her. It's all for political stuff, but... Luna's a great person, you know? Well, duh, you know." Noctis' chuckle is followed by another bout of silence. It was starting to get on Prompto's nerves, having to contain the rush of intense feelings that was threatening to overtake him, just to sit in silence. "Hey, are you okay?" Noctis asks.

 _No._ "Yeah, a'course I am. My best friend's getting hitched!" Prompto's voice warbled as he said the words with a little too much enthusiasm.

They both knew he was lying. It was why Noctis didn't answer back.

"Listen, Noct, uh... I'm kinda starting to fall asleep, and my schedule's pretty crazy tomorrow, so... I'm gonna tuck in. But congrats!"

Noctis only got halfway through his cry of "Prompto, hold on" when Prompto hung up.

When the clouds passed in front of the moon, Prompto's room was black. For the rest of the night, there was only the sound of frantic paper tearing and desperate, lovelorn sobs.

**Author's Note:**

> let's see if i can find the inspiration to write a part 2 lmao. thank you for reading ♡


End file.
